Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly

Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly

BookSnap

Rationale

Seventeenth Summer, originally published in 1942, is a romance story from a simpler time.  In a way it follows the typical love story format; girl meets boy, girl loses boy, and then girl gets boy in the end.  However, since the story takes place in the 1940s, it deals with some problems in which today’s youth do not struggle.  For example, when Angie does not hear from Jack, she sits around and frets.  Today’s teenage girls would not hesitate to reach out and call or text a boy.  This was just not done in the 40s.  Social norms were different.  I’m not sure how relatable the story would be to an audience today.  For instance, when the couple kiss on the third date, it is meant to feel slightly shameful.  The part of the story that is still relatable, is how a teenage girl struggles with her emotions.  Angie is learning to juggle daily life, her parents and siblings’ opinions and her own emotions and desires. Every teenager struggles with learning new things, for the first time, and emotion maturity is a learned skill.

The BookSnap shows a quote from Nance Vogel about Seventeenth Summer being where "the modern period of young adult literature” began.  I chose this quote to show the potential reader they should expect a story from an earlier time.  By stating that this was one of the first young adult books, the reader knows that the story is from the past when times were different.  The quote from the book was chosen to show how Angie struggles with her emotions.  Even though she is falling for Jack, she is still irritated that he would embarrass her in front of her family.

Related Read Title	Related Read Author	Category	How Related Read Relates to Initial Title	Why You Would Recommend the Related Read
The Sun is Also a Star	Nicola Yoon	Realistic Fiction	This story also relates to social and family issues and the struggles with new experiences.	This story has many of the same themes but takes place in modern times and might be more relatable to the current generation.  Awarded one of the best books of the year by several reviewing organizations.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn	Betty Smith	Historical Fiction	This story also deals with coming of age in an earlier period.	Both books are classics and deal with coming of age, love and family.  However, they show the contrast between the middle-class Wisconsin Morrow family with the poor Brooklyn Nolan family.
Twilight	Stephenie Meyer	Fantasy	This story has many of the same themes including dating/romance and social/family issues.	While this book is not written well, it is widely popular, deals with the same themes, is more current and will appeal to readers of fantasy.
The 1940s	Stephen Feinstein	Informational	This book deals with the time period the initial title.	This book would be great source material for readers of the initial title to understand the time period in which the characters of the book live.  The non-fiction book covers culture, art, science and politics from the 1940’s decade.

Reviews

New York Times: “By a kind of miracle, and perhaps because she is so close to an experience not easy to recapture, Miss Daly has made an utterly enchanting book out of this very fragile little story — one which rings true and sweet and fresh and sound.”

Publisher’s Weekly: “the perennially popular Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly, written while the author was still in college herself. Diary-like entries depict the trials and tribulations of adolescent amour.”

The Hub: Your Connection to Teen Collections: “It won’t appeal to every reader, but those dreamy, romantic teens who want a clean romance will find much to enjoy.”

References

Book Review: New to Me-Seventeenth Summer - The Hub. (2011, February 04). Retrieved from http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2011/02/03/book-review-new-to-me-seventeenth-summer/

Chance, R. (2014) Young adult literature in action: A librarian’s guide. (Second Edition). Denver, CO: Libraries Unlimited.

Children's Book Review: Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly, Author Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing $17.95 (320p) ISBN 978-0-689-85383-8. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-689-85383-8

Clker Free Vector Images. (2014, August 1). Basket Picnic Brown. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/basket-picnic-brown-handles-wicker-310061/

Daly, M. (2010). Seventeenth summer. New York: Simon Pulse.

Feinstein, S. (2015). The 1940s. Enslow Publishing Inc.

Fox, M. (2006, September 29). Maureen Daly, 85, Chronicler of Teenage Love, Dies. NY Times. doi: https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/29/books/29daly.html

Mack Type-3 S [Photograph found in 6 BK Collect Hobby, Emslichter 385 Images]. (2017, March 2). Retrieved June 15, 2018, from https://pixabay.com/en/mack-type-3-s-6-bk-collect-hobby-2111036/ (Originally photographed 2017, February 23)

Meyer, S. (2006). Twilight. New York: Megan Tingley Books.

OpenClipartVectors. (2016, March 31). Boat Sailboat. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/boat-sailboat-sailing-1297487/

Smith, B. (2006). A tree grows in Brooklyn. New York: HarperPerennial.

Vogel, N. (1994). The Semicentennial of Seventeenth Summer: Some Questions and Answers. The ALAN Review,21(3). doi:10.21061/alan.v21i3.a.7

Yoon, N. (2016). The sun is also a star. New York: Delacorte Press.